Germany’s Interior Minister Horst Seehofer says a vaccine against COVID-19 was the most important aspect. In a newspaper interview, he states he believes there might be one towards the end of the year, or even earlier.

The number of new Corona infections per day is below 500 these days.

Friday, June 5th, 2020 Coronavirus cases: 184,472 (07:55 a.m. CEDT)

For the first time since the Corona crisis hit Germany months ago, there are no big issues. The authorities in the port city of Bremerhaven are dealing with a relatively high number of new infections. But the nationwide new infections numbers are still low. Most Germans seem to be following the rules.

In spite of warnings according to which a second Coronavirus wave would hit because of the lifting of bans and the easing on restrictions, nothing of the kind has happened so far. In fact, the number of new infections in Germany is extremely low.

She also states a deal with Lufthansa was imminent. Because of Corona, the giant airline says it needs 9 billion Euro (9.87 billion U.S. Dollars or 8.09 billion Pounds Sterling). The Federal Republic of Germany will become a shareholder again.

In Berlin, Stuttgart and other places, thousands demonstrate against the Corona rules. People who believe in conspiracy theories about Corona are part of the rallies. Police try to make sure the distance rules are being adhered to.

Chancellor Merkel and the First Ministers from the federal states ease several Corona restrictions. Even the food service industry will be back in business. In case the number of Coronavirus cases grows too much, restrictions can be put back in place in counties or towns. The distance rule still applies, while the contact rule got a modification.

Lower Saxony is the first federal state in Germany to announce a reopening of restaurants. First Minister Stephan Weil wants to take that step on May 11th. At first, strict rules will apply. Other states, such as Saxony and Thuringia are considering this kind of approach too. On Wednesday, Chancellor Angela Merkel and all sixteen First Ministers are scheduled to have another online meeting during which they intend to discuss the easing of restrictions.

In the meantime, the German virologist Hendrik Streeck introduces his ‘Heinsberg Survey’ which deals with Corona infections in the town of Heinsberg. In the study, he comes to a conclusion about the number of infected persons in all of Germany. He says there might be 1.8 million.

In the early morning of Easter Sunday, the number of people infected with the Coronavirus stands above 125,000. So far, 2,871 people have died. While every person who died of COVID-19 is one too many, the number of related deaths is still low compared to other countries. More than 58,000 individuals who used to be infected are cured.

It is day no. 15 since the ‘contact ban’ was imposed on the Germans, and day no. 71 since the first Coronavirus case was reported in Germany. While neighboring countries such das Austria and Denmark are getting ready to lift restrictions, Germany is persistently sticking to them.

For now, the number of infected persons keeps on rising, in spite of the nationwide ‘contact ban’. The government and virologists involved in big decisions are hoping for an effect that might show within days.

As the ‘contact ban’ kicks in all over Germany, the numbers are still on the rise. There might be one glimmer of hope though, for the first time since it all started. According to the Robert Koch Institute in Berlin, the number of cured Germans is rising. But it is hard or even impossible to track that number reliably because hospitals and doctors are not required to report healed patients.

As the number of Corona cases keeps on skyrocketing, Chancellor Angela Merkel and the first ministers of Germany’s sixteen federal states will gather online this afternoon, in order to talk about further measures they might take. Curfews in all states are possible. So far, Bavaria and the Saarland have taken steps of this kind.

Freiburg is the first city to restrict its residents’ freedom of movement. The measure is supposed to come into effect on Saturday. A few hours later, Bavaria announces a curfew that will take effect on Saturday. The Saarland will likely follow suit.

The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) increases the health risk level for people in Germany from moderate to high. The RKI’s director Professor Lothar Wieler says there were alarming signs from hospitals in Germany according to which more and more Coronavirus patients with severe disease processes were being treated.

As the number of infected people in Germany approaches 6,000, Germany’s Interior Minister Horst Seehofer announces the closure of the country’s borders to Luxemburg, France, Switzerland, Austria and Denmark. This measure will kick in on Monday morning at 8 a.m. CET. Deliveries, commuters, returning Germans and returning individuals with residence permits have the right to enter the country though.

The number of Coronavirus infections hits 2100 in the late morning. President Steinmeier cancels appointments, at Berlin’s universities the start of the next semester is being postponed. Hamburg announces new rules for events. Lufthansa and Europe’s other airlines are forced to deal with Trump’s new travel ban. (Read separate article ‘Germany: Coronavirus Crisis Leads to More Restrictions, Closures and Cancellations’)

Wednesday, March 11th, 2020 Coronavirus cases; 1500+

“We need to pass the test”, Chancellor Angela Merkel says. During a press conference, she talks about measures Germany and Europe are taking, and about priorities. It was all about protecting people, she states. (Read separate article entitled ‘Merkel on Coronavirus: ‘We Need to Pass the Test’)

By Tuesday evening, 1317 people in Germany are infected with Covid19. Chancellor Angela Merkel says the authorities all over Germany should persistently fight the virus and all non-existential events should be cancelled. At this stage, there is no national rule for events with many people.

Berlin closes its opera, concert halls and theaters, other federal state, such as Bavaria, are taking a similar approach to slow down the spread of the virus.

Angela Merkel says, 60 to 70 percent of all Germans would be infected with the Coronavirus.

Monday, March 9th, 2020 Coronavirus cases: 1150+

The numbers are going through the roof. More than 1150 people are infected in Germany. The Coronavirus affects everything. The DAX index slumps in Frankfurt, Health Minister Spahn wants events for more than 1000 people cancelled.

Sunday, March 8th, 2020 Coronavirus cases: 1000+

Twelve days after the second Coronavirus wave hit Germany, the number of confirmed cases exceeds 1000. The first German citizen dies of a Covid19 infection during a stay in Egypt

One police officer is among the 28 official Coronavirus cases in Berlin. The police department says he had gotten infected during his free time. Thirty-five of his colleagues are now in quarantine, just in case.

Now, 15 days after the second wave hit Germany, the number of confirmed Coronavirus cases exceeds 600. The number tripled with 48 hours. All put one federal state are affected. The largest one, North Rhine-Westphalia, has 300+ virus patients. Health Minister Jens Spahn tells Germans to refrain from going there.

Thursday, March 5th, 2020 Coronavirus cases: 400+

Within two days, the number of infected people in Germany more than doubled. In the late evening of this day, it stands at 543. Berlin has 15 cases now. The federal states affected most are North Rhine-Westphalia, Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria.

At the Virchov Clinic in Berlin, suspected cases are being tested. Photo: Imanuel Marcus

Wednesday, March 4th, 2020 Coronavirus cases: 260+

The number of cases exceeds 260. Saxony-Anhalt is the only federal state not affected. More big events, such as the Leipzig Book Fair, are being cancelled. The same applies to an anti-terror exercise in Berlin, where six Coronavirus cases are confirmed and hundreds are in quarantine, eight days after the second wave in Germany started. (Latest article: Germany: Almost all Federal States Hit by Coronavirus)

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2020 Coronavirus cases: 180+

There are now 180 confirmed Coronavirus cases in Germany, including in Brandenburg, Saxony and Thuringia, regions that had been ‘green’ on the virus map until now. In Berlin, two schools closed. In many regions supermarket shelves that usually contain certain items are empty. Durable food and toilet paper are in high demand.

Monday, March 2nd, 2020 Coronavirus cases: 152

The number of cases has exceeded 150. North Rhine-Westphalia still has the largest infection cluster. In the meantime, the first Coronavirus patient in Berlin is in quarantine at an isolation ward at the Virchow Clinic. The health authorities in the German capital are looking for his contact persons. Sixty have been identified. It was quite an ordeal the patient went through. Two more patients test positive in the evening.

In virtually all western German provinces and city states, around 100 people are now infected with the Coronavirus. In the late evening the Berlin authorities say the first Coronavirus patient had been put in quarantine.

Saturday, February 29th, 2020

Within four days, since February 25th, the number of Coronavirus cases in Germany has exceeded 60. Thirty-seven of them were confirmed in North Rhine-Westphalia, the country’s largest federal state. New ones in Hamburg, Bremen, Lower Saxony and elsewhere have to be added to the list. Dozens of primary school children in Bonn are being tested and quarantined because one of their caretakers in infected.

Friday, February 28th, 2020

The travel trade fair ITB is being cancelled. Up to 180,000 participants from all over the world had been expected.

A total of thirty new cases were reported since Tuesday. More than 1000 Germans are in quarantine. Most of them are contact persons who took part in events with confirmed cases, who worked with them or who visited hospitals the patients worked at. Since one of the Coronavirus patients is a nursery school teacher, kindergarten kids and their families are affected too.

The virus reaches Hamburg in the north, Freiburg in the south and the federal state of Hesse. So far, in the morning of February 28th, there are no confirmed cases in eastern Germany, including Berlin.

Thursday, February 27th, 2020

In the evening 14 new cases are confirmed in North Rhine-Westphalia, a federal state in western Germany, and four more in Baden-Württemberg in the south.

Interior Minister Horst Seehofer says at a Berlin press conference, breaking chains of Coronavirus infections in Germany, and controlling those coming from abroad, were the most important tasks right now. His colleague, Health Minister Jens Spahn, said the federal government’s new task force had already convened once. Airlines, train operators, shipping and bus companies would now be required to provide information about the origin off all their passengers’ journeys.

Now a total of seven new cases are being reported, including the two patients who were tested positive on February 25th. A couple in North Rhine-Westphalia is among them. The woman is a nursery school teacher who was in contact with countless people, while the man, who is still in critical condition, took part in a carnival event.

Health Minister Jens Spahn orders the federal states to activate their pandemic plans while establishing a crisis management committee with the Interior Ministry.

Tuesday, February 25th, 2020

Now the Coronavirus seems to be spreading in Germany. Two new cases are being reported. In Erkelenz (North Rhine-Westphalia) one patient is in the isolation ward of a hospital in critical condition. He is 47 years old. Further south, in Göppingen county (Baden-Württemberg), another man, aged 25, was tested positive. It looks like he got infected in Milan.

Senator Geisel says Berlin might have to be cordoned off in case the spread of the Coronavirus leads to the kind of situation Italy is in. Photo by Imanuel Marcus

Berlin’s Interior Senator Andreas Geisel says the German capital, or parts of it, could be cordoned off in case the situation dictated measures of this kind. The disaster management was prepared. Geisel did admit it would not be easy to close off a city of 3.7 million inhabitants.

Monday, February 24th, 2020

Germany’s Health Minister Jens Spahn says the epidemic had arrived. He states he believes the Coronavirus could spread in Germany as well, like in northern Italy, but the country was prepared. “We will be vigilant”, Spahn says. He promises the government would do anything to protect its citizens.

Because of the worrisome situation in Italy, where towns in the north are being cordoned off due to the exploding number of Coronavirus infections, Austria temporarily prohibits trains from there to enter the country. Two German ladies with cold symptoms and fever are being removed from one of the last trains from Venice to Munich in Verona and tested at a hospital. Those tests turn out negative.

In Italy, the situation suddenly worsens substantially. With three Coronavirus deaths and 117 people infected, the Italian authorities start cordoning off certain towns and cancelling big events. Germans are asking themselves whether this is what they have to expect as well.

Saturday, February 22nd, 2020

Six former passengers of the cruise ship ‘Diamond Princess’ which had been quarantined two weeks ago at the Port of Yokohama in Japan arrive in Berlin on an Italian aircraft. They are supposed to quarantined in their homes.

Friday, February 21st, 2020

Fifteen more German evacuees from Wuhan arrive in Stuttgart. They are supposed to be quarantined near Esslingen for two weeks.

Thursday, February 20th, 2020

The Red Cross announces that 20 Germans quarantined at a clinic in Berlin’s Köpenick district will be released on Sunday morning. They had been picked up in Wuhan by the British on February 8th and arrived in Berlin on the 9th.

Germans from the cruise ship ‘Diamond Princess’ will reportedly be taken to Berlin within two days. The ship is located at Yokohama port in Japan. More than 640 people on board are infected with the Coronavirus.

Sunday, February 16th, 2020

More than 100 German evacuees and their families who spent two weeks in quarantine at an Air Force base in Germersheim are being released after one more round of Coronavirus tests.

Saturday, February 15th, 2020

A total of three individuals who used to be infected with the virus are back home. They were released from hospitals in Frankfurt and Munich.

Two Germans on board the cruise ship ‘Diamond Princess’ outside Yokohama (Japan) are reportedly infected. So are 283 other passengers and crew members.

Friday, February 14th, 2020 Coronavirus cases: 16

According to German-language media reports, German evacuees from Wuhan who are in quarantine at a Berlin hospital say their situation was burdensome. This applied to both them and their helpers. The number of showers and toilets was insufficient. The Red Cross states any complaints would be taken seriously.

Two German evacuees who were infected and treated at a hospital in Frankfurt are being released. Their doctors do not believe they are still contagious. In the meantime, the evacuees in Germersheim might be released soon. The health authorities will take a decision on Sunday.

Thursday, February 13th, 2020 Coronavirus cases: 16

After talks with his E.U. colleagues in Brussels, Germany’s Health Minister Jens Spahn says flight passengers could be questioned about contacts they had had in the past weeks. This was about a quick identification of seat neighbors in case of a Coronavirus infection, Spahn states.

Some German media start calling the Coronavirus by its new name Covid-19.

Wednesday, February 12th, 2020 Coronavirus cases: 16

Two more individuals in Bavaria are infected with the Coronavirus. Like most other patients in Germany, they are connected to the company which hosted a workshop with a Chinese colleague on January 21st, 2020. The lady from Shanghai did not know she was infected.

Health Minister Jens Spahn says checking the body temperature of passengers at airports did not make sense, because many infected individuals did not have symptoms.

The government in Berlin intends to allocate 23 million Euro (25 million Dollars or 19 million Pounds Sterling) for the fight against the Coronavirus.

Monday, February 10th, 2020 Coronavirus cases: 14

Berlin’s Health Senator Dilek Kalayci announces that none of the 20 new evacuees from Wuhan are infected with the Coronavirus. “We are relieved”, she states.

According to Kalayci, the 20 German evacuees in Berlin are well. The 16 adults and four children had been separated into groups and accommodated in twelve rooms with beds, TV and WiFi. They may leave the building and walk around in a fenced yard as long as they are in quarantine.

Sunday, February 9th, 2020 Coronavirus cases: 14

Twenty German evacuees and family members arrive Berlin. They are being checked at the Red Cross Hospital in the Köpenick district, where they will have to stay in quarantine for at least two weeks.

These evacuees were on board a British plane chartered for British and other European citizens. In Berlin, the Foreign Ministry thanked the British for “an act of European solidarity”, nine days after the United Kingdom left the E.U..

The wife of a Bavarian employee of the company Webasto becomes the 14 confirmed Coronavirus case in Germany. She is being treated at the Schwabing Hospital in Munich. So far, 12 of the 14 cases in Germany are connected to that company, since a lady from China who did not know about her infection took part in a workshop with colleagues.

According to German scientists, the virus can survive on surfaces, including door handles, for up to nine days.

In China, more than 31,100 people are infected with the Coronavirus. The authorities say 636 patients had died.

Thursday, February 6th, 2020: Coronavirus cases: 13

Bavaria’s Health Ministry confirmed the 13th Coronavirus case in Germany. The patient is the wife of one of the patients confirmed days ago. Two of her three children carry the virus as well.

Wednesday, February 5th, 2020: Coronavirus cases: 12

Scientists at the Institute for Virology at Berlin’s Charité hospital, Munich’s Schwabing Clinic and the Institute for Microbiology at the Bundeswehr, Germany’s armed forces, reportedly come to the conclusion that the Coronavirus can be contagious even when the patient’s symptoms are minor. They also found out that the virus multiplies not only in the patient’s lungs, but also in their throats and digestive tract.

Tuesday, February 4th, 2020 Coronavirus cases: 12

According to German-language media, eight Germans are stuck on a cruise ship outside the Japanese city Yokohama, along with 2658 passengers and about 1000 crew members from other nations. They were quarantined because the Coronavirus might be spreading on the ship.

The Foreign Ministry in Berlin again warns Germans of trips to Wuhan and advises citizens against trips to China, except for journeys to the special administrative regions Hong Kong and Macao.

Monday, February 3rd, 2020 Coronavirus cases: 12

Another two people in Bavaria, namely yet another employee of the same company and a second child of one of the individuals confirmed as infected earlier, are being tested positive for the Coronavirus.

In China, the number of infected officially stands at 20,400. According to the Chinese authorities, 425 of those infected have died.

Lufthansa, Swiss and Austrian Airlines announce they would not be flying to Beijing or Shanghai until February 29th, 2020. A few days before, the had cancelled those flights until February 9th. Hong Kong is still on the flight plan though.

Sunday, February 2nd, 2020 Coronavirus cases: 10

Two of the evacuees from Wuhan are being tested positive as well.

Most of them are being taken to Germersheim, where they need to be in quarantine for at least two weeks. They are being separated into four groups.

Germany’s Health Minister sees a “dynamic situation” and criticized conspiracy theories related to the Coronavirus that were spreading on the Internet.

Health Minister Spahn says the Internet was full of conspiracy theories about the virus.

Saturday, February 1st, 2020 Coronavirus cases: 8

Yet another employee of the same company becomes a confirmed Coronavirus case.

In Spain, an additional German citizen tests positive. He is being treated there (case not counted).

124 Germans and other nationals are being evacuated from Wuhan by the German Air Force.

Friday, January 31st, 2020 Coronavirus cases: 7

One of the three children of the man who tested positive a day earlier is infected. His wife and his other two children have flu-like symptoms as well, but they test negative.

An additional employee of the company most other infected individuals work for is being tested positive.

Thursday, January 30th, 2020 Coronavirus cases: 5

Yet another employee of that company, from Traunstein county, is being tested positive.

Several suspected cases are reported in several federal states within Germany.

Wednesday, January 29th, 2020 Coronavirus cases: 4

Lufthansa cancels all flights to and from China, except those to and from Hong Kong until February 9th or further notice.

Tuesday, January 28th, 2020 Coronavirus cases: 4

Three more employees of the same Bavarian company, two men and one woman, test positive. Two of them were in contact with the first German Coronavirus patient and one with the lady from Shanghai.

Monday, January 27th, 2020 Coronavirus cases: 1

From Shanghai, the Chinese woman informs the company she works for in Bavaria about her Coronavirus infection.

Her German colleague is being tested positive. He is the first confirmed case in Germany.

Sunday, January 26th, 2020 Coronavirus cases: 0

On this Sunday, the sick man feels a lot better. The lady from Shanghai is being tested positive.

The Berlin Health Ministry says it feared panic more than the Coronavirus.

Friday, January 24th, 2020 Coronavirus cases: 0

The Bavarian man who took part in that workshop feels sick. He suffers from a soar throat, high temperature and muscle pan.

On that same day, the German Health Ministry in Berlin says there was “no reason for unease or alarmism” because of the Coronavirus. Germany was prepared. At major airports, staffers are looking for any signs of sickness on incoming passengers from China.

Thursday, January 23rd, 2020 Coronavirus cases: 0

The visitor from China takes her return flight to Shanghai. On the way, she feels sick.

The Chinese woman flies to Germany to work with her colleagues at a company in the Bavarian town of Stockdorf. Neither does she know she is infected, nor does she have symptoms.

Thursday, January 16th, 2020 Coronavirus cases: 0

A Chinese lady in Shanghai welcomes her parents from the Wuhan region.

By the way: The publication you are reading, The Berlin Spectator, was established in January of 2019. We have worked a whole lot, as you can see. But there has hardly been any income. This is something we urgently need to change. Would you consider contributing? We would be very thankful. Our donations page can be found here.

Imanuel Marcus is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Berlin Spectator. Originally from Hamburg, he used to be a war reporter in Bosnia and Croatia, and a U.S. correspondent for German and Swiss radio stations in Washington D.C.. He also lived in Mexico and Bulgaria. Contact: imanuelmarcus (at) gmail.com